The
title story, “Prize Winners,” is the one we are publishing and quite a
powerful and memorable story. What was your inspiration for this story?

To me it feels shamefully obvious that I was reading Aimee Bender
when I wrote this story, but it probably wouldn’t necessarily come to
mind for others, so I’ve ruined the romance of it now. I don’t remember
much about what spurred the story other than that when I read something I
really like I often have an urge to write my version of that story. So,
in this case I had read some Aimee Bender and thought, “what would my
version of an Aimee Bender story be?”

Originally it had a much more Bender-esque ending (which I just now
re-read for the first time since it was changed), but in revisions the
ending changed to its current version, which is much more consistent
with my style, if I have what can be considered a style.